´When we need Fernandes, he is always there´, says Amorim

Manchester United head coach described Bruno Fernandes as the “perfect” captain after his hat-trick helped them to a 4-1 victory over Real Sociedad in the Europa League round of 16 second leg on Thursday.

The victory meant that United qualified for the quarter-final of the competition after drawing 1-1 in Spain, though they initially fell behind from an early Mikel Oyarzabal penalty at Old Trafford.

Diogo Dalot got the final goal of the night in stoppage time to make it more comfortable for United, who will face Lyon in the last eight.

“When we need it, [Fernandes] is always there,” said Amorim. “He can bring the ball forward. He can score goals. He is a perfect captain for our team and we need to help him win titles.”

“We know that sometimes he is frustrated. We know he wants to win so badly and when things are not going well, he is changing position and going after the ball. Sometimes he needs to trust his teammates.”

The victory capped a decent week for United, who drew 1-1 at home to Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, having taken the lead.

1 – Tonight’s match against Real Sociedad saw Manchester United register 25 shots, 10 shots on target and an xG of 4.02, all their best totals in a match under Ruben Amorim so far. Attacking. pic.twitter.com/yuRtkgxBGA

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 13, 2025

Amorim was clearly impressed with how his players dealt with the physical challenges put up by him and those served by playing in different tournaments.

“It was a complete week. We showed a bit of the future. Today, we had a good performance from our team, the physicality was there,” he told TNT Sports after the game.

“In this competition it is completely different – we can be the dominant side in physicality. It was a tough week, but a good week.

“I am also learning how to use players like Casemiro. Without a lot of options we are trying to put our players in the best positions. You can feel they have more freedom because of the one game in Spain [first leg against Real Sociedad] we tried to use the pace of Garnacho on the right.

“He has shown me so many things on the right, maybe better than the left.”

One negative of the night, though, was Rasmus Hojlund’s failure to find the back of the net, meaning it is now 21 matches in all competitions since his last goal for United.

“We play with two 10s. We need one player to push the team and make the runs. He his helping a lot. Today, he did three or four connections that can allow us to change the game,” said Amorim. “He just needs to score a goal, he is so anxious.”

Manchester United travel to face Leicester City in the Premier League next on Sunday.